Atractaspis battersbyi
Encyclopedia
Atractaspis battersbyi, or Battersby's burrowing asp, is a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of venomous snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...

 in the Atractaspididae
Atractaspididae
The Atractaspididae are a family of snakes found in Africa and the Middle East. Currently, 12 genera are recognized.-Description:This family includes many genera formerly classed in other families, on the basis of fang type. It includes fangless , rear-fanged , fixed-fanged , and viper-like species...

 family.

Etymology

Both the common name and the specific epithet, battersbyi, are in honor of James Clarence Battersby (1901 - 1993), herpetologist at the British Museum (Natural History) for 45 years.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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